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In a letter to Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Ottawa, Canada, the foundation on March 16 requested an immediate stay on the proceedings to deport the students
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“I am writing this letter in order to inform you about the plight of 700 Indian students who have been the victims of an immigration fraud allegedly masterminded by an immigration agent operating in the Punjab province of India.”
— Maninder Singh Gill, Foundation President
The Canada-based Friends of Canada & India Foundation has come out in support of the more than 700 Indian students facing deportation from Canada after their ‘admission offer letters’ to educational institutions were found to be fake, reported indianexpress.com.
The foundation has written a letter to Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Ottawa, Canada, on March 16 requesting an immediate stay on the proceedings to deport the students. “I am writing this letter in order to inform you about the plight of 700 Indian students who have been the victims of an immigration fraud allegedly masterminded by an immigration agent operating in the Punjab province of India,” Foundation President Maninder Singh Gill said in the letter.
The students went to Canada on student visas about three years ago. They completed their studies and gained Canadian work experience on a Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The fraud came to light when they applied for permanent residence (PR) status. The Canada Border Security Agency’s scrutiny revealed that the initial offer letters from the Canadian institutions were forged. According to media reports, the students have now received deportation notices.
“We urge you to intervene in this matter and stop the deportation process immediately as this incident demands a broad investigation. The student visas and work permits were granted on the basis of forged documents pertaining to the Canadian institutions, this fact raises serious questions on the efficiency and competence of Canadian immigration regime. It is understandable that to protect the integrity of the Canadian immigration regime is one of your priorities, but this special case demands a compassionate approach,” reads the letter.
The letter says that the role of Canadian institutions involved should be closely scrutinised and possible Canadian accomplices in the fraud should be brought to justice. “The students have invested their life’s earnings in getting higher education in Canada. A number of them come from poor and marginalised families. They have invested their time, money, and youth in Canada. They have done everything to prove themselves as good students and hard workers. The deportation will prove to be catastrophic to these young lives and it will also impact Canada’s image as a preferred destination for higher studies globally,” the letter reads.
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Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Vikramjeet Singh Sahney said that he would take up the issue of deportation of 700 Punjab students from Canada with Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi
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“I have already spoken to Indian High Commission in Ottawa and asked them to investigate the matter thoroughly and find out who issued the fake papers to these students. The culprits should be punished. We will request the Canadian government not to deport the students but accommodate them in Canadian universities,” said the MP, who was in Amritsar on March 17
“We are also writing to the Indian authorities to crack a whip on the unauthorised immigration consultants committing fraud. Greater Indo-Canadian cooperation in the form of information sharing is required to stop this kind of fraud in future,” Gill said.
Meanwhile, the students facing deportation have started organising protests in Canada and told Pendu Canadian channel that some students had started getting deportation letters in 2021.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal requested Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on March 17 to “take up the case of 700 Punjabi students who face imminent deportation from Canada due to no fault of theirs with the Canadian authorities and avert the same”.
Badal’s letter to Jaishankar said, “The students have been duped by an unscrupulous education migration services company. They face this predicament due to no fault of theirs…You are requested to intervene in the matter and apprise the Canadian government that the students are not at fault and are in fact victims of a scam perpetrated on them. While due action should be taken against the education migration company, the future of the students should not be spoiled by conducting the deportation proceedings”.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Vikramjeet Singh Sahney said that he would take up the issue of deportation of 700 Punjab students from Canada with Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi. “I have already spoken to Indian High Commission in Ottawa and asked them to investigate the matter thoroughly and find out who issued the fake papers to these students. The culprits should be punished. We will request the Canadian government not to deport the students but accommodate them in Canadian universities,” said the MP, who was in Amritsar on March 17.
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